One Last Mission...
by Wingleader Sora Jade
Summary: Warning: Death-fic & tearjerker! You're going to need tissues! Duo runs off with Heero and Quatre on what he promises Hilde will be his last mission. He returns two days later, but it's not the same Duo, literally. DuoxHilde and hints of HeeroxRelena.


One Last Mission  
by WSJ  
  
I don't own Gundam Wing. All I own are my tears and the ability to write a sappy tearjerker. *sigh* Why am I so depressed?  
  
()()()()()  
  
He blinked a couple times, trying to clear the haze out of his eyes. Burning... Something near him was burning... Weakly he turned his head to see the OZ base on fire, as well as the other two Gundams slashing and hacking to finish it off.  
  
But, where was that third Gundam? He blinked hard several more times before his memory caught up with him. Right. The third Gundam was his. It had been destroyed and he thrown out.  
  
An explotion rocked the ground nearby, and groaning he tried to get up... And found he couldn't. There was something wrong with his legs.  
  
It was only then he became aware of the pain, burning, searing pain. Tearing up and down his body, threatening to pull him under, into the dark world of Hades. That was where he'd be going when he died, he was sure. After all the sins he'd commited, all the lives he'd taken, he was going to Hell.  
  
He felt a thick, sticky liquid slide down his cheek, before soaking into his clothes and his hair, and he shuddered. Blood. His blood. It was leaking out of him and there was no stopping it. With great effort he raised his hands and held them in front of his face, before letting them fall heavily to his chest.  
  
They were stained, stained dark with the blood of all the people he had slain. He could hear families crying, cursing him, demanding he return the souls he had taken, souls of their husbands, fathers, sons...  
  
The pain... Pain of heart as well as body. His thoughts turned in another direction, why hadn't he been able to tell her how much he cared? His vision began to darken and blur as his last thought drifted through his mind.  
  
'If only I had another chance...'  
  
~*~  
  
Hilde cursed as she banged pots and pans around the kitchen, stopping again to glare another burning hole through the note sitting on the kitchen table.  
  
"He just had to do it..." she muttered hottly to herself. "He just had to break his promise and go on one last mission..."  
  
There was a knock on the door and she took several deep breaths to calm herself down before going to answer it. Standing outside was... Duo. He smiled casually at her, as if he hadn't run off for two days on a mission with Heero and Quatre.  
  
"Duo!" she growled, hot anger flashing back into her eyes.  
  
His expresion turned to one of shock, disbeleif, and, of all things, a bit of fright. "Whoa, Hilde, calm down! What did I do?"  
  
"What did you do?!? Duo Maxwell, I'll tell you what you did! You ran off on another mission! You promised me you wouldn't Duo Maxwell, you PROMISED me! But promises don't mean a lot to you, do they!?! Do they Duo!?!?!"  
  
She spun around, turning her back on him, leaving him sputtering behind her. "Look, Hilde, I really didn't mean to! Well, I did, but I couldn't help it! That was an important OZ base, now they're in full retreat! I promise, that was the last one! Quatre and the others will handle it from now on, they'll have to."  
  
Hilde peeked over her shoulder and saw Duo's face full of concern, his hand outstretched as if he was going to put it on her shoulder. When he saw her looking he pulled it back and stepped back as well. She could see tears gleaming in his eyes and her anger faded as concern for her best friend took over.  
  
"What's wrong Duo, you're not hurt are you?"  
  
He smirked a little, but the tears stayed. "Nah. Who's capable of hurting Shinigami?" Before Hilde could say anything he answered himself. "Only you Hilde. God, I love you Hilde, and you can make me or brake me depending on your mood."  
  
Hilde found herself blushing at his awkward yet romantic love confession. "Have you been talking to Heero?"  
  
Duo shrugged, that grin back on his face. "I dunno, maybe?" But Hilde couldn't help but see the lingering shadows in his blue eyes, causing them to fade to grey.  
  
She reached out to him, and he seemed to pause. Then he wrapped an arm gently around her shoulders and their lips met.  
  
~*~  
  
Hilde was startled awake by a knock on the door. She gasped in surprise, remembering the kiss she'd shared with Duo. Had it been reality, or a dream after all? She couldn't quite remember...  
  
The insistant pounding came again and Hilde slipped on her slippers, tieing her lavendar terry cloth robe around her as she hurried to the door. Impatiently she brushed her hair out of her eyes, wondering who would be knocking at this time of night.  
  
She pulled open the heavy door and was just about to say something searing when all her retorts died unsaid in her throat.  
  
Outside stood Heero Yuy and Quatre Winner. Quatre was crying. But it was hard to tell, it was raining out and both boys were soaked.  
  
Hilde pulled her robe tighter around her and gestured for them to come inside. Quatre shook his head. "No, that's ok Miss Hilde. We only stopped to drop something off. Duo-" his voice cracked.  
  
"Duo wanted you to have this." Heero supplied. Quatre nodded and pulled something out of his pocket, handing it to Hilde.  
  
She felt her kees buckle underneith her and she sunk to the floor, starring in horror at Duo's cross. "No..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Duo! Duo-chan! Please, Duo, can you hear me?"  
  
The boy on the battlefeild slowly opened his eyes to be met with Quatre's tear-filled ones. "Just hang on!" the Arabian pleaded. "Help's on the way!"  
  
Duo shook his head as a small smile graced his lips. "No Quatre... I'm done for. But at least I had a chance to finish business. Please, Q-man, give this to Hilde for me..." he reached under his collar with shaking hands and drew out his gold cross. "Please?"  
  
"I-I will Duo." Quatre said, his voice shaking.  
  
Heero came up behind Quatre and Duo glanced up. "I'm sorry Heero, am I making you cry?"  
  
"I see your sarcasm hasn't left you." the Perfect Soldier growled, but there was indeed a suspicious wetness in his eyes.  
  
"Unlike most of my blood." Duo grimaced, and then managed a weak smile at his two friends as it started to rain. "Oh, and Heero?"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Make sure you tell Relena how you feel. I barely had the chance with Hilde." He managed a wink, and the eye never re-opened. The other one soon joined it, and Death was officially dead.  
  
~*~  
  
Duo stood in Hilde's bedroom, tears misting his eyes as he saw her curled up in a ball, her face and pillow stained with tears. In her hand she clutched his cross. As Duo watched she whimpered in her sleep and another tear leaked out from under her eye lid.  
  
"I'm sorry Hilde." He reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She sighed in her sleep and smiled a little. "I wish I didn't have to leave you. But I'll wait for you. After kissing an angel like you, even if it was just a dream for you, I'm sure I'm going to heaven."  
  
Stooping over to kiss her gently on the forehead, he turned to go.  
  
"Du-uo..." she muttered. Duo turned back to face her. Yup, she was definatly still asleep.  
  
"What?" he asked causiously.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Duo smiled as he faded away.  
  
()()()()()  
  
Ack! I'm going to cry now!!! *sniffles and rumages through her desk, looking for a tissue* I can't believe I made Heero cry! *eyes form the little ^_^ shape even though she's still crying* Reviews please and thank you! 


End file.
